Packaging apparatus having parallel article and container carrying conveyors combined with article pusher, comprising rotating spider with pivotally mounted arms



May 4, 1948. c, 0 2,440,866

PACKAGING APPARATUS HAVING PARALLEL ARTICLE AND CONTAINER CARRYING CONVEYORS COMBINED WITH ARTICLE PUSHER COMPRISING ROTATING SPIDER WITH PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ARMS Filed Jan. 12, 1942 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 mmmn um! N fiverzzbr I Chrencef/Ihhzbf May 4, 1948. c. J. MALHIOT 2,440,866

PACKAGING APPARATUS HAVING PARALLEL ARTICLE AND. CONTAINER CARRYING CoNvEYoRs COMBINED WITH ARTICLE PUSHER COMPRISING ROTATING SPIDER WITH PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ARMS Filed Jan. 12, 1942 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 c. J. MALHIOT 2,440,866

LLEL ARTICLE AND CONTAINER May 4, 1 948.

5 G N t I e m m R s A C S t e e h S 4 PACKAGING APPARATUS HAVING PARA CONVEYORS COMBINED WITH ARTICLE PUSHER COMPRISING ROTATING SPIDER WITH PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ARMS Filed Jan. 12, 1942 May 4, 1948.

c. J. MALHIOT 2,440,866

PACKAGING APPARATUS HAVING PARALLEL ARTICLE AND CONTAINER CARRYING CONVEYORS COMBINED WITH ARTICLE PUSHER COMPRISING ROTATING SPIDER WITH PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ARMS Filed Jan 12, 1942 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented May 4, 1948 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Clarence J. Malhiot. Oak Park, 111., assignor to F. B. Redington 00., Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application January 12, 1942, Serial No. 426,373 1 Claim. (Ci. 226-2) This invention relates to packaging apparatus and more particularly to apparatus for inserting articles into a packaging container.

The invention is illustrated in connection with a machine for feeding generally cylindrical articles. such as bars of soap, and for inserting the articles into a box made from cardboard or like material. The invention is capable of other uses, however, and may be used to feed any desired article into any desired type of container or package.

A primary object of the invention is the provision of automatic, continuously operated, high speed apparatus for feeding articles and inserting the articles into containers and the like.

A further object is the provision of simple and 'efiective apparatus for continuously removing articles from a conveyor, transferring the articles to another conveyor, and inserting the articles into a container or the like carried by the second conveyor.

Another object is the provision of rotary apparatus for removing articles from a conveyor, transferring the articles to another conveyor, and inserting the articles into a container or the like carried by the second conveyor.

A further object is the provision of a relatively simple rotating device for removing articles from one longitudinally moving conveyor and inserting the articles into containers carried by a second longitudinally moving conveyor.

A further object is to provide for positively maintaining a closure flap of a container in open condition during insertion of an article within the container.

Another object is the provision of simple and effective means for stripping the container from its conveyor after the article has been inserted within the container.

These and other objects will be apparent from the following description, the appended claims, and the accompanying drawings which illustrate a selected embodiment of the invention and in which: I

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a machine constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a front elevational view of the machine shown in Fig. 1;

.Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 33 Fig. 4 is an enlarged detailed section taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view illustrating one form of an article adapted to be operated upon by the illustrated machine;

Fig. 7 is an enlarged perspective view of the transfer mechanism with certain of the parts omitted;

Fig. 8 is an enlarged detailed section showing a portion of the container carrying conveyor; and

Fig. 9 is a detailed section taken on the line 9-4 of Fig. 8.

Referring to the drawings, the reference numeral i0 designates a vertical main frame which extends longitudinally of the machine and is mounted upon a suitable base member ii. The main frame Ill supports the various operating parts of the machine, and at its forward side carries a pair of conveyors i2 and i3, Figs. 1, 2 and '7. Both of the conveyorsii and it move in the same direction, as indicated by the arrows in Fi 1, and are arranged side by side in parallel relationship.

The conveyor i2 comprises an endless belt M which extends around a drum it providing for rotating the belt M at a predetermined speed. The drum I5 is mounted upon a shaft l8 which is suitably carried by the frame portion of the machine. A plate ll, supported upon a bar 08, extends along the length of the conveyor belt and provides a support for the upper reach of the conveyor.

A plate i9 extends upwardly from the plate il adjacent the forward side of the conveyor it and a, second plate 20, Figs. 1 and 7, extends upwardly adjacent the rear side of the conveyor 82. The upwardly extending plates l9 and 29 provide guides for maintaining the articles ti on the conveyor belt during movement by the conveyor.

The conveyor It comprises an endless chain having a plurality of elongated links}! pivotally connected together .by shorter links 28, Figs. 2 and 8. Each of the elongated links 25 carries a pair of spaced upstanding arms 21 forming a substantially U-shaped container receiving pocket or recess 2!. The chain conveyor I3 is carried by sprockets 28 mounted upon shafts N which are carried by suitable bearings supported upon the machine frame. The containers ii are fed to the conveyor I; either manually .or automatically, at the left hand end of the machine illustrated in thedrawings, and fit snugly within the pockets 2| of the conveyor.

In the illustrated embodiment the container II, Fig. 5, comprises a body portion ll having end flaps 38 and front and rear cover flaps 81 and 18. The container is fed to the conveyor I3 with the end flaps at the rear side 39 of the container folded down, as illustrated in Fig. 5, and with the other portions folded outwardly as also illustrated in this figure. A rear upstanding plate 49, Figs. 4 and 7, provides for guiding the container during movement upon the conveyor l3.

A forwardly extending plate or apron 45 is bolted to the main frame I adjacent the end of the article conveyor I2 and provides for rotatably supporting a mechanism for transferring the articles from the conveyor I2 into the containers 3| carried by the conveyor I3. This mechanism comprises a verticaly extending shaft 46 which is carried by a bearing lug .41, Figs. 3 and 7, integrally attached to the plate 45. A spider 49 comprising four outwardly extending arms 49, Figs. 1 and 7, is attached to the upper end of the shaft 45 for rotation therewith;

Each of the arms 49 of the spider 48 carries a pivotally mounted arm 58 which is pivoted to the spider as indicated at 5|. The arm 59 comprises upper and lower arm portions 52 and 53, Fig. 7, which are integrally joined by a 'web 54 and are provided with a downwardly extending article engaging finger 55.

Each of the portions 52 of the arms 59 is provided with an oflE-set portion 56 upon which a roller 51 is rotatably mounted. A plate 5.8 which overhangs the transfer mechanism is carried by an upstanding bracket 59, Fig. 3, bolted to the outwardly extending table or apronportio'n 45 of the main frame, and this plate 58 carries a cam plate 60 which also overlies the transfer mechanism. The cam plate 60 is provided with a cam groove 9|, Figs. 1 and 3, within which the'rollers 51 operate.

The cam groove 5| is so shaped that rotation of the spider 48 causes the arms 50 and fingers 55 carried'thereby totravel in predetermined paths. Thus, the arms and fingers assume an outwardly extending position 62, which is generally parallel withthe sides of the-conveyors I2 and I3 and the direction of movement thereof, as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 7, when the fingers 55 engage against a side of an article 2| advanced by the conveyor I2. C'ontinued' rotation of the spider $8 causes the fingers to move the'article 2| towards the conveyor i3 and the container 3| in the direction indicated by'thearrow'liil in Fig. 1. buring'thisnnovcment-'the shape' or the cam itooveil is such that-the arms 58 and fingers 55 remain substantially parallel with the position 02 in which they engage the article, as -illustrated by the arm position 94in Fig. 15

' The cam groo've 6| then provides for maintaining the transfer arms and fingers insubstantial parallelism with the conveyor I3 until the conveyor I9 is cleared. Thereafter, the cam groove moves the transfer arms and fingers to between the finger and the article during the insertion of the article into the container.

During transfer from the conveyor I2 to the container 3|, the article 2| is received upon a table plate I0, Figs. 4 and 7. The upper surface of the conveyor I 2 is positioned slightly above the supporting surface of the container convey in: pockets 28, and the transfer plate I0 is pro- A means is provided for assuring that the front.

cover flaps 31 are raised to an open position during insertion of the article 2|. This means come prises a cam plate I5 which has a forward portion I6 that is attached to the guide plate 20. The cam plate I5 extends rearwardly towards the body portion 35 of the container, as illustrated at II in Fig. 1, and is also provided with an upwardly inclined cam surface I8, as shown in Figs. 2 and I of the drawings. The cam surface .18 engages the forwardly extending cover flap ll of the container 9| and provides for positively moving this flap to an upward position, as indicated in Figs. 4 and 7, during insertion of the article 2|. 2

The cam plate I5 is provided with an opening 80 through which the article 2| is inserted into the container 3|. This opening extends above the outwardly extending end flaps 39 of the container 3| as clearly illustrated in Fig. 7.

After the article is inserted within the container 3|, the front and rear ends of the container are closed by any suitable means, not shown, which may be located at the broken pertion, Figs. 1 and 2, of the article conveyor. As the closed package together withthe article received therein approaches the end of the 0011?.

veyor I3, a means is provided for stripping the..

I upwardly extending lugs 21 of the pockets 28 .in

thecontainer' conveyor chain cause the container :with the article enclosed therein to advance along passesaround.

the bars or tracks 88 as the chain the sprocket 29.

The apparatus as thus described isdriven by a shaft 99, Figs. 1 and 2, which extends longiupon'the machine frame by suitable means such as the bracket 9| and bearing 92, Fig. 1, and

carries a pair of bevel gears 93 and I04. The.

bevel gear 93 meshes with the bevel gear 94, Figs. 2 and 3, rotatably mounted on a stud 95 rigidly supported on the frame member III by a. boss 96., The bevel gear 94 carries a pinion 91 which. meshes with an idler gear 98 also rotatablymounted upon the frame II). The idler 99 carries a pinion 99 which mesheswith a gear Ill festened to the shaft an of the right hand sprocket 29 of the conveyor I3. The conveyor I3 is thus driven at a predetermined speed in accordance with the speed of the main drive shaft 99.

The bevel gear I04 meshes with a bevel gear I95 carried by a shaft I06. The shaft I09 carries a pinion I 91 which meshes with an idler gear I09. The idler gear I08 is carried by a stub shaft I09 to which a pinion H8 is attached.

The pinion H meshes witha gear ill mounted upon a shaft 2.

The shaft "-2 extends transversely of the machine and is provided with a bevel gear 3 having meshing engagement with a bevel gear I I attached to the vertically extending shaft 46 carrying the transfer spider l8 and transfer arms 50. The shaft H2 also carries a gear H which meshes with a gear 9 attached to the shaft is of the driving drum i9 ior the conveyor i2. I

The conveyor belt H, the transfer arms 59 and the conveyor chain i3 are thus driven in coordinated timed relationship to provide for receiving articles 2! within the transfer arms 59 and fingers 55, transferring the articles to the container carrying conveyor 13, and inserting the articles within containers carried by the conveyor l3, all of said operations taking place continuously and simultaneously.

Changes may be made in the form, construction, and. arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit of the invention or sacrificing any of its advantages, and the right is -hereby reserved to make all such changes as fairly fall within the scope of the following claim.

The invention is hereby claimed as follows:

An apparatus for feeding articles into containers and the like and comprising an article feeding conveyor, means for moving the article feeding conveyor continuously, a container feeding conveyor parallel to the article feeding conveyor, means for moving the containerjeeding conveyor continuously at a speed correlated with the speed of the article feeding conveyor, and means for engaging articles on the article feeding conveyor and inserting the articles into con-' tainers on the container feeding conveyor, said last named means includinga continuously rotating spider member, means for rotating the spider member continuously in one direction at a speed correlated with the speed of the said conveyors, a plurality of arms pivotally mounted on said spider vmember, and guide means co-operating with the arms to shift the arms on their pivots, said guide means and arms being constructed and arranged to maintain parallelism of said arms with said conveyors lfrom article engaging position. to article inserting position.

CLARENCE J. MALI-T.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:-

' UNITED STATES PATENTS 

